Rising Darkness
by Katt Wilde
Summary: Aleksandra Bogdanova has found in Hogwarts a second home, much like any of its students. However, what will happen to her safe haven when she starts developing feelings for an old friend and fellow student?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: **Hello and thank you for reading my little story! I hope you will enjoy. I am looking forward to receiving reviews, just so you know; and yes, that was a hint. Also, please tell me if there's anything you don't understand and you think I should have included.

Also, I do not own Harry Potter. I only own my OC. Basically, anything you can recognize I don't own.

Now, on with the reading, and have a good time! Don't forget to leave a word, yes?

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Without doubt, being a child of mixed heritage sometimes takes a strange course of faith.

Russian born and bred Ruslan Bogdanov married French witch Adeline Dubois in 1975, three years later giving birth to a blonde little bundle of joy, whom they named Aleksandra.

When the time came, you can be sure as hell my father tried his best to persuade my mother into sending me off to Durmstrang Institute. My mother would not hear anything about it, of course – it was too far away, the weather was terrible and she would never allow such tolerance of the Dark Arts into her daughter's life. She was more into the idea of sending her daughter to get schooled in a much friendlier, warmer, and… more elegant environment; one that she had attended as well; Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

As soon as he heard about it, the man threw a fit; his girl? In a stuck-up, fancy, good-for-nothing school? What had she to learn from the French? How to smile pretty and become a wonderful, dim-witted trophy wife? Over his dead body!

Needless to say, my parents fought over this matter for half a year! Father hated the way Mother spoke of Durmstrang, and Mother hated the way Father spoke of Beauxbatons. Without even noticing, every little insult thrown into the schools' direction, was an insult thrown into each other's faces.

That was of course, until my eleventh birthday. While celebrating with my parents, we received a peculiar owl. After reading said message, my parents felt relieved: finally, a solution! I didn't have to attend Durmstrang, nor Beauxbatons! They had forgotten all about Hogwarts. Sure, the weather was still terrible and sure, perhaps it was still a bit too fancy for my father's tastes, but in the end, they knew it was the perfect (and only) choice.

And so, they wrote back immediately, stating that I will indeed be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with the beginning of the school year. I was excited, my parents were excited, and peace had finally came into the household.

As the end of the summer approached, we were all getting a little anxious and maybe even scared. Of course, all those feelings were forgotten as soon as we stepped foot on Diagon Alley:

"_Vat is dis? I feel like a sewer rat."_

"_**Mon Dieu**__, Ruslan! Zis are not ze kind of words to say when so many people could 'ear! Hold my 'and, sweetie; getting lost in such a place would be a terrible misadventure."_

I was astounded, to say the least. It was the most magical place I had ever seen in my life, as crowded and maybe dirty as it felt. There were witches and wizards everywhere, dressed in the brightest of colors, or wearing only black, there were colorful shops and I swear I saw an ice-cream parlour only a few steps down the alley. This was indeed my place.

I was soon startled out of my thoughts by my protective mother.

"_Look zere! Ollivander's wand shop! Zis is ze first stop, __**ma cherie**__!"_

In a matter of moments I had figured out why that was our first stop; I was getting my first, and hopefully only wand. Ollivander's was a rather stuffy place; the kind of chamber that hadn't seen an open window in decades. However, the kind-looking man behind the counter soon made me forget how difficult I found breathing to be.

I knew that it is not the wizards that chooses the wand but the wand that chooses the wizard. I don't know why, but ever since I was a little girl I was afraid of being chosen by a wand I deemed inferior or especially ugly. I was incredibly terrified of short wands, as my father always said that short wands choose witches and wizards who lack in personality. And since I knew most wands vary in length from around 9 inches to 14, I thought that anything above 12 inches will do.

Despite my initial fears and uncertainties, between my wand and I it was something that people call "love at first sight": 12 ¾ inches, elm and Phoenix feather core. I was so taken with it, especially since there were more than seven wands that had previously rejected me. The old wand-maker said that must have been because of my flabbergasting personality; however, I knew better: he saw the dejected and worried look in my eyes. Indeed, there were thousands of questions that raced through my mind at that time: _"What if no wand chooses me?", "What if I'm not a witch?", "What if I'm actually a Squib?"_ The shame would've been impossible to live with.

Needless to say, after we left Ollivander's, my parents were gloating! They were so proud of my first wand, it look as though they were even more excited than I was!

"_My little girl! She has a vond all to herself! Wait u__ntil my colleagues hear about dis, __**dorogoya**__."_

"_Oui! Our little girl 'as grown up so fast!"_

It wasn't long before all my first year necessities were taken care of exactly by the book: new black robes, protective gloves, winter cloak, and every course book I may need and not only. My parents had spared no expense in making sure I had what I needed and only the best of it! I was after all, their only child and the apple of their eyes.

After Diagon Alley, summer passed quite slowly. Too slowly for my liking. I was beginning to get nervous, anxious and the day we had to go to King's Cross, I was downright nauseous. My parents were feeling even more worried than I was. They didn't know much of Hogwarts, nobody in my family did. I came from a long line of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students, after all, and I've never met anyone who even saw Hogwarts, let alone step foot in it. My parents tried their best to learn as much as they could; mom even took to reading "Hogwarts, A History", but she quickly abandoned said book on her nightstand, never to be opened again. If she couldn't read a book in one sitting, she would not read it at all. Or at least, that's what I had gathered about her. My father, on the other hand, took to the more practical ways: asking colleagues and friends, anyone who could possibly know anything. Living in Russia, there weren't many people to ask and therefore, he only found out a couple of things: the fact that Hogwarts students were sorted into one of four houses as soon as they stepped foot into the school (out of the stories I had heard, I took a liking to Ravenclaw most), that it was the safest place on earth (a thought that made my mother rejoice) and that the headmaster was a bit of a loony. But in my opinion, only the best people are.

"_Goodbye, ma cherie! I will miss you terribly – and behave! And make lots of friends to bring over for Christmas! And don't eat anything you don't like! And – "_

"_**Milaya**__, I fink **Sasha** will find her way into da school on her own."_

"_Oh, nonsense! Aleksandra, put zat owl to use and write weekly, or at least every fortnight!"_

And with those final words, the train whistled once and every student on the 9 ¾ platform scurried around, saying their final goodbyes and hurriedly hopped on, looking for a compartment.

Finding a compartment had proven to be a rather difficult task. The first compartments were filled with older students and the fact that I had to walk for at least five minutes until I finally found an empty compartment wasn't exactly great: there was little to no walking space outside compartments, and my only chance of actually getting through was if I held my trunk in one hand, and balanced my owl's cage on my head with the other hand. Now that I think about it, it was quite a funny sight.

As soon as I settled into the empty compartment, it started filling up with people. At first there were three girls: Katie, Alicia and Angelina, all of whom seemed really nice and talkative, even though it was brazenly obvious they were also incredibly nervous and trembling with excitement.

Not long after the girls made their entrance, they were followed by three boys our age, two of whom were twins, had fiery, vivid red hair and freckled faces. They introduced themselves as Fred, George and Lee, and just like that, our compartment became rather stuffy and crowded. Not that any of us minded.

During our long journey to Hogwarts, all of us became fast friends. I especially took a liking to Katie and the twins; Katie and I seemed to have a lot in common, and even though the twins and I were pretty much different in almost every way, they were such a laugh to be around, it was impossible to not like them.

Soon enough came the question I was wondering about myself. Just as we were approaching, we were instructed by a Prefect boy to change into our robes. Afterwards, back in the tiny settlement, Angelina broke the thick silence.

"What house do you reckon you'll get into?"

The twins boasted about Gryffindor, and that their whole family has been into Gryffindor, of course! How could they break the tradition? Lee wanted to follow them into the house of the "brave of heart", and while they were so sure of themselves, myself and the girls had quite a rough time actually deciding on a house.

There was only one thing we knew, something that the twins made very clear:

"It doesn't really matter much which house you get into, alright – "

"As long as it's not Slytherin. Never Slytherin."

"They're a bunch of snivelling gits, they are –

"Treacherous, snotty, brats!"

After that motivational speech, you must imagine how elated we were to see how one after another we were all sorted into Gryffindor. Katie was the first to be sorted, and then came little old me, Angelina, Lee, Alicia and the twins. Also, our happiness grew even bigger when we realized that we girls were assigned the same dorm room.

That night's sleep was especially fulfilling.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

_Mon Dieu! _- My God! (French)

_ma cherie - _my dear (French)

_dorogoya -_ dearest (Russian)

_milaya - _darling (Russian)

_Sasha_ - Russian diminutive for Aleksandra


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **This chapter is rather uneventful; mostly as a "beginning" to everything there is to come. Thanks for reading!

Also, bunch of thank yous, _**HayleyGoth**_, for the review. Her parents relationship will be explained a little bit later, so stay tuned! Many thanks!

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><p>Chapter 1: Coming back<p>

I would say I had forgotten over the summer exactly how much I had missed Hogwarts, but that wouldn't be true, not even in a million years. Not one single person forgets it. Not even the dawning of our O.W.L.s seemed to phase this longing we felt. Of course, this was the case every year, since Hogwarts had become just like a second home to many of us.

My parents left me on the platform to look for my friends. Easily enough, I spotted them not very far away; it wasn't nearly that hard to spot a sea of red-headed, colorful people. Clutching my luggage, I hurried towards the Weasleys, determined to say hello to Mrs. and Mr. Weasley before the whistling of the Hogwarts Express.

Of everything, I missed them the most; my friends. Mrs. Weasley used to joke around saying that I was actually the third twin, only blonde and a girl, of course. However, Fred couldn't just leave it like that:

"What on earth do you mean, a girl? Lulu's no girl!" Fred said pointedly, while outlining the shape of an hourglass with his hands. Thankfully, his pointing out at my lack of shapes wasn't left unpunished, Mrs. Weasley quickly hitting him over the back of his head.

I was brought out of my memoirs by a gently hand being placed on my back.

"How nice to finally see you again, Aleksandra, dear." Mrs. Weasley said affectionately while throwing a warm smile my way. This woman had a way of making me feel like one of her freckled children, even though I clearly knew I wasn't.

"Yes, how long has it been? A month?" Mr. Weasley completed her question. Over the last few years, I had made it a tradition to spend a couple of weeks at the Burrow with them. To be completely honest, those visits were always the highlights of my summer. Not even the exotic trips and holidays I had with my parents could ever replace my annual summer swing by the Burrow.

"Indeed." I replied with a smile. However, I wasn't smiling at the two Weasley parents. Somewhere close behind them, my twins were leaning against a pillar, each giving me one of their lopsided smiles.

"Where have you been this summer?"

"Romania; to see the dragon sanctuary."

"Splendid! What a marvelous idea, Molly, darling! Why don't we go to Romania, and we could see the dragon sanctuary and Charlie! Two birds with one stone!"

I let Mr. and Mrs. Weasley discuss the matter of their future holiday amongst themselves while I slowly made my way towards the red-headed devils who had been staring at me for quite some time now. They had certainly developed quite a great deal over the summer, I reckoned. Handsome as always, they seemed to have underwent a sudden growth spurt, they hair was significantly longer and they're shoulders broadened as well.

"Well, well, Blackwood. I could say we even missed your ugly mug." George said as they finally started moving over and engulfed me in a sandwich, bone-crushing hug.

"We certainly did! Over the last few days just trying to decipher your horrible scrawl of a handwriting just wouldn't cut it anymore!" added Fred, after placing a kiss on the crown of my head. They were taller than me by a lot, and they never missed a chance to let me know that.

"Oh, but I haven't missed you at all! In fact, I met this cute lad; Romanian. Vlad was his name, I believe. Or was it Robert? Can't remember." They weren't the only ones able to play the game. "Actually, I may have remembered your faces once or twice while snogging him in the broom closet. Or then again, I might as well have seen some kind of an annoying little bug that reminded me of you."

"Lulu, you are downright breaking my heart and feeding it back to me." Fred tried getting his point across by feigning a sad, pitiful voice and placing his right hand over his chest.

"You are a right twit, Fred Weasley." I said, jokingly slapping his hand away. "Now let's go find an empty compartment. If I have to sit with Macmillan once more and listen to his Scottish drawl, I will throw myself to the Giant Squid."

"That is something I'd love to see, now, right Fred?"

"Oh, downright so, George. And while you do that, love, make sure you wear your white uniform shirt. Wouldn't want your vest soaked, now, would you? Dries harder." The crooked mischievous grin Fred had plastered across his face told me his advice was in no way related to my soaking vest. Of that I was sure.

* * *

><p>The ride to Hogwarts was anything but uneventful, to say the least. Alicia and Katie spent a few weeks at Angelina's during the summer, while Lee spent his entire holiday at home, helping his parents out with chores and whatnot. Everybody knew about my summer and the twins'; it had become somewhat of a tradition over the years that during holiday I would go someplace interesting and queer, and afterwards (or before, in some cases) I would go visit the Weasleys.<p>

"I'm a tad scared about the O.W.L.s… Aren't you, guys?" Alicia asked suddenly. I rolled my eyes and kept my mouth shut; exams are not something I fancy talking about at the start of the year.

"Blimey, Leesh! Could you be more of a downer?" Lee exclaimed while holding a half-melted chocolate frog in his hand.

"Oh, no worries about that!"

"Yes, I'm sure Fred and I will do just _outstanding_, as always – "

"Or we will at least _exceed expectations_!"

Leave it to Fred and George to lighten the mood with their less than funny plays on words. I swallowed pursing my lips and rolled my eyes once more, while looking out the window. Unfortunately, Fred's keen eyes didn't miss my skeptical demeanor.

"What's that, love? You don't believe your best friends could ace their exams?"

"Oh, Fred, I highly doubt my best friends could even pass most of their exams, let alone ace them!" I replied sweetly, finally turning my head towards him and smiling sweetly. Bantering was something we always did, ever since we first met on the train. Katie used to joke saying that our playful teasing was only a charade meant to cover up "unrelieved sexual tension". That was not our case, of course. Fred Weasley was my funny, annoying and disgusting best friend.

Jokingly upset, Fred threw a licorice wand at me, which I easily caught and claimed it as mine.

Our laughter came to a halt, along with the train.

"Bloody hell, what's going on?" A visibly shaken Lee asked, holding his back of sweets tighter in his lap.

"We can't possibly be there yet…" Katie was right. It usually takes about a whole day to finally reach Hogwarts, and now it was only around 3 o'clock.

An unnatural cold seeped through the compartment, the air got icy, biting at my skin, and just like that, everything good was gone from the world. A massive feeling of hopelessness and dread slithered its way into my soul, and looking at my hands, I realized with a sudden jolt that I was trembling like mad. But it wasn't just me. Lifting my head and taking another look throughout the abnormally bitter compartment, I couldn't help but notice my friends were feeling far from happy. Lee was by far the worst; he was shaking hard, his face void of any color, and hands dug so hard into the bag of sweets, that his fingers created actual holes in it. Fred and George were quite shaken up as well. It was so curious, yet awful to see them like this. Crisp and unresponsive, they were looking at their feet, hands balled into fists in their laps. Katie and Alicia stood motionless by my side, holding each other's hand, while Angelina was just staring blankly out the window.

What was going on?

Just as I looked away from my friends and towards the compartment door, a tall hooded creature resembling a wraith passed by, but not before checking our own chamber. It was a nightmarish sight; it was wearing a long, black cloaked that seemed to float on its own accord, and its hands were donned with fingers far longer and thinner than humanly possible. If I hadn't known better, I would've said I've seen death. And death seemed to be looking for a certain something… _or someone_.

Whatever what that it was looking for, apparently it wasn't in our compartment, and "death" glided over the next one. As soon as it was gone, the air suddenly seemed much lighter, the uncomfortably tension was gone and it was overall much… warmer. For several minutes, none of us dared say anything. We were just so terrified and confused over what had happened, that we secretly feared it might have changed its mind and returned to our location if we so much as whimpered.

After a long and stiff silence, the door to our compartment was abruptly opened and a head of light brown hair peeked in. The man looked much older than us, but still not of Professor McGonagall's age. The most peculiar things about him were his shabby robes and ill-looking face.

"Remain seated and eat some chocolate!" he said in a hurried manner and immediately shut the door, sprinting down the long hall.

As confused as he was, Lee remembered he was holding the bag of sweets and after rummaging through it for a few seconds, he pulled out two fistfuls of chocolate frogs. As soon as he ate one of those, yellow disappeared from his face, he was no longer pale and his hands stopped shaking altogether.

"The bloke is right! Eat up, you!" he advised, throwing the bag of sweets at us.

After each and every one of us consumed the chocolate, we were feeling much better. At ease, even. But our questions remained. And we certainly hoped Professor Dumbledore would hold some kind of explanation that he was willing to share with us at the feast.

* * *

><p>Everyone in the Great Hall was dumbfounded and panicked, but the first years were downright terrified. Nobody could pay attention to the actual sorting, as the whole place was engulfed in rapid chattering. We didn't even bother to whisper anymore.<p>

"Did you hear? Harry fainted!" an overly excited second year Ravenclaw shouted across the room. Immediately after, his indiscretion was rewarded with hundreds of glared coming from the Gryffindor table. Some of us didn't actually stop at giving the stink-eye.

"Oi, prick! – "

"Reckon you need some help keeping your trap shut?"

Fred and George weren't exactly the most reasonable or… laid-back of the bunch, but they're loyalty to their friends was ever astounding.

Rolling my eyes at them, I leaned over the table towards Harry and his friends. They all looked put down, but Harry's eyes hadn't left the table since he sat down; he was embarrassed to no end, and he was trying hard (but alas, in vain) to hide it.

"Don't worry, Harry. None of us was too excited either." I reassured him and sent a smile his way.

"Yeah, Harry! As soon as that thing left, I grabbed Lee's sweets and threw up in the bag!"

"Bell! Did you actually do that?!" a mortified Lee asked Katie, while she just shrugged, opting not to give him an answer.

I saw Harry give a small smile and immediately I felt really grateful for the tiny lie Katie pulled off. I thanked her later that night for it, but she just answered with a _"Well, maybe I didn't puke, but I certainly felt like it! Not much of a lie."_

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><p>"<em>Dementors<em>?" cried Alicia while smoothing her robes with her hands, "Dementors at Hogwarts? What's next? _Werewolves_?!"

Needless to say, everybody was in utter shock after dinner. We knew that Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban, and that he was the first inmate to do so, but Dementors? Was that really necessary? It sure as hell hadn't been Dumbledore's idea; you could read it on his face. However, it looked as though there was one piece of news he was fairly happy about: the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was the shabby dressed man from the train. In that light I was able to see his face and features better… and he had scars cutting across his face. Maybe this year will bring a competent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, after all.

"Say, _Sasha_, have you given Quidditch a thought?" Lee obviously tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Angelina just quit the team and we certainly wouldn't mind having you."

"Angelina quit? Why? She was an astounding Chaser!" I questioned them, ignoring Lee's attempt to make light of my name. Ever since he heard my father call me Sasha he kept trying to recreate his accent.

"O.W.L.s." came George's blunt answer, followed by Fred's explanation.

"Her parents are giving her a rough time about it. Something about becoming an Auror – "

"Healer, Fred." Katie pitched in. "She wants to be a Healer. Actually, her parents want her to be a Healer."

"Same difference to me. Nevertheless, she won't be joining us on the Quidditch pitch this year."

"More the reason for Aleks to try out." Lee said. "I've never seen you play, but Fred always said you have a way with balls." With that comment everyone burst out laughing. Along with O.W.L.s, fifth year also brought more innuendo jokes than ever.

"With a Quaffle, I said!" Fred yelled red-faced, lightly hitting Lee's shoulder. "With a Quaffle, Lee! Don't mess my words up, you git."

"Keep your pants on, Frederick; nobody minds." I told him, tightening my ponytail. "I don't know about trying out for Quidditch, though. As sad as I am for Angelina, I also have O.W.L.s. Matter of fact, we all do. And again, as sad as I am for Angelina's career choice, I was actually thinking of becoming a Healer myself –"

"A Healer? Really?" George inquired. "Why? What a waste of talent."

"Shove off, George." Alicia said, narrowing her eyes at him. "If she doesn't become a Healer, who else would help those poor first years you keep pestering with your lousy charms and hexes?" she added, ignoring Fred's and George's bewildered looks.

"Thanks, Leesh. Healer or not, I still have to work my arse of in Potions. And being Wood's final year, I think he'll be anything but reasonable."

"Well, I, too, think you should try, Lex – _Balderdash_" Katie said, while the portrait opened and we all went inside the common room. "Besides, Wood chooses you in the end, you can always refuse, you know."

"And face his wrath, of course." Fred added, grinning from ear to ear, as though he would've enjoyed the show that Wood's anger would put on at my refusal.

"Put a sock on it, Weasley." I said, tired of his shenanigans.

After a few more minutes of bickering, Katie dragged me upstairs to our dorm, leaving the boys and Alicia still in the Common Room. As soon as I hit the bed, I fell into a deep sleep, without even bothering to unpack. I guess I hadn't realized just how tired I was.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Chocolate frogs and attitude

"You're still taking Divination? That's a load of dung, if you ask me."

"Nobody asked you, Gideon." I defended Katie against Fred's sharp tongue as we all walked towards the Great Hall. Katie decided to let go of Care for Magical Creatures and embrace Sybill Trelawney's class, which I thought was a dumb decision myself.

"We're all having a free period now, 'stead of you!" Lee ignored my attempt at sparing Katie and continued himself. "You should be drinking pumpkin juice with us, not seeing crud omens in a damn crystal ball." Everyone knew of his crush on her. Lee actually hoped she would be joining us for our free period mostly because he wanted more time to spend with her. We were only into our third week of school and our scheduled class work and homework were off the charts.

"Bugger off, Jordan." Snapped Angelina. Needless to say, we were all kind of in a pinch and highly irritable. Angelina was forced to quit her Chaser position, prompting Oliver Wood to go berserk; the first match was to be in a week's time, and yet the team was incomplete. Katie and Alicia were just as tense as Angelina: Quidditch was a bit more important to them than our O.W.L.s, and seeing as Wood hadn't chosen a veritable replacement for Angelina, they had to play their first two matches with only two Chasers. Needless to say, we lost miserably, while the Ravenclaws and Slytherins bathed in self-entitled glory. Molly had found Fred's and George's stacks of Puking Pastils and whatever other odd contraptions they had, and completely and utterly destroyed all evidence of their existence, which prompted the twins to be even crueler than usual in their pranks. A few Slytherin first-years were unlucky enough to be the unwilling test subjects of their Ton-Tongue-Toffees, while I, having caught them and as the actual Prefect, had to unwillingly give them detention and subtract a significant amount of House Points from our beloved Gryffindor. Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed giving them detention. I enjoyed giving everyone and anyone detention; it was my way of relieving stress: inflicting it upon someone else. However, giving detention always came with the deduction of House Points; something I was never very fond of. Especially since those snivelling Slytherins were always creeping up behind us, trying to snatch the House Cup.

After the train incident, not much has happened. Not anything noteworthy, anyway. Professor Lupin was proving himself to be the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had the pleasure of working with. During our first lesson we had to face a Boggart. Something I was terrified of, mostly because I never knew what I actually feared. For Ron, it was simple. The Boggart morphed into a giant spider. For Fred and George, into their own mother. For Neville, into professor Snape. It was all dandy, seeing as they all knew what to expect. They knew precisely what their utmost fears were. Mine however, were as unknown to me as they were to anyone else. I soon found out, though.

Apparently, my most dreaded fears were not something palpable; material. Instead, they were more on the mental side, you could say. Rejection and failure. I won't even go into what my Boggart transformed, because had I not been watched by all my fellow fifth-years and those damned Slytherins, I would've burst into tears right then and there. Thankfully, I kept my composure; even though I suspect it was mostly thanks to Fred's hand that found its way into mine and entwined our fingers together.

Of course, everyone heard of Harry Potter's major breakdown. Apparently, his Boggart morphed into a Dementor, and in my opinion, no one can blame him; those creatures are most definitely pulled out of one's darkest, most desperate nightmares. We didn't see them often, but we saw them more than enough. Especially since they were patrolling school grounds.

Thankfully, a Hogsmeade weekend trip was scheduled for the following weekend, and we couldn't wait to get rid of our problems and forget schoolwork, even if for only a day.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mum &amp; Dad,<em>

_How are you guys? I'm terribly sorry for not writing sooner (or more often, for that matter). I've been extra-busy with schoolwork and the likes. Studying is going well, so far. Still loving Herbology and still failing History of Magic miserably. Never will I understand the need of putting Professor Binns in charge; he's dull as foggy day (also, did you know his name is CUTHBERT? What's up with that!)._

_Stop worrying so much about me and the others. We are all doing just fine. Those Dementors can't actually get inside and Dumbledore made sure they keep their distance even on school grounds. It is indeed a bit weird, seeing them float around, but we'll manage._

_It's all fine, I swear._

_How's work, anyway?_

_Send me some love (and sweets). But not another Howler. Last one fell into a meat pie and exploded right there. I had to skip first class in order to fish the pieces of food out of my hair and I smelled of roast the whole day! I promise I'll write more often._

_I've been meaning to ask you guys about something. I keep hearing about some sort of disarray going on at the Ministry. Yours. The Russian one, I mean. If everything ok? Word's been going around that people are dying. What's up with that? I'm getting really anxious only reading minuscule articles about it in the Daily Prophet. That paper's full of dung anyway. Have these news anything in common with man's escape from Azkaban? Black, I believe his name is. Sirius Black. Have you heard anything about him? It's all over Britain! Harry's been going mad lately, and everyone around him too! They've been going on and on again of how he wants to murder Harry and brink You-Know-Who back. And stupid Trelawney's not helping at all with her dim-witted prophecies. Woman's as coo-coo as they come._

_I have to stop rambling. Running out of parchment. Send some news and maybe some trustworthy newspapers._

_Love,_

_Sasha._

_Oh, Fred and George send their regards as well!_

_Also, did anyone I know die? Please tell._

_Also, don't forget to feed and water Krantz. He's got a long distance to travel, you know."_

* * *

><p>"So, <em>Lulu<em>, what's the plan now?" Alicia asked me, taking my hand in hers. We were in Hogsmeade for only thirty minutes and the twins and Lee already left for Zonko's. "Where to now?"

"Three Broomsticks, I suppose?" I pondered. "Or we could head to Honeydukes for some Pumpkin Pasties and Liquorice Wands, wait for the lads to come 'round, and then head to Three Broomsticks for some Butterbeer?"

Them ditching us was no news, though. Every time we came to Hogsmeade, they would run along to Zonko's, spend all their sickles on silly creams and fireworks, and when it came the time to sit down for a Butterbeer – they suddenly had no money left! Which meant, of course, that the check would have to be split between us four girls, all the while throwing them dirty looks.

"I suppose, yeah," added Angelina. "But I have to be honest and say I'm through paying for those three. I reckon it's high time they grew up already!"

Poor Angelina still doesn't get it; they will never grow up. Their toys will only get bigger and more expensive with age. Not to mention a lot more dangerous.

Upon reaching Honeydukes, we couldn't help but notice a rather grim looking piece of paper that was on the shop's door.

_"BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC_

_Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall._

_Merry Christmas!"_

"Well… bollocks," murmured Alicia. "This is getting rather serious, wouldn't you say?"

"I think so, yeah," Katie acknowledged, gripping the red and gold scarf that was resting in the palm of her hand. "Good thing Harry isn't here, though. He'd have a right fit, _innit_?" She finished, throwing us one last scared look before finally grasping the door handle and pushing the door open. "Enough of this now. Sweets await."

Despite the ominous notice on the front door, Honeydukes was as bright and cheerful as it always was. Actually, colorful was the best way to describe it, me thinks. There were shelves upon shelves filled with scrumptious chocolates and mints, and it smelled better than a spring day. But then again, it might've been just my opinion, as my sweet tooth was world-renowned, in Angelina's own words.

Making a mental note to not spend more than a few sickles on my purchases, that thought was quickly dismissed as I gazed upon the variety of candy and decided that in no way could I possibly leave without a year's supply in Liquorice Wands and Treacle Fudge (something that Katie found absolutely repulsing due to its ingredients list).

After more than half an hour of wondering around the shop, and more than five galleons (well) spent on various treats, we've ultimately decided that the boys wouldn't be joining us anytime soon. After all, Zonko's wasn't exactly the kind of place you could just leave after only minutes of browsing.

"I say we move our arses to Three Broomsticks, lasses," Alicia considered.

"I agree. I'm in grave need of a Butterbeer." I added, feeling my throat dry up with each word. "Besides, I've got some Cauldron Cakes that need my immediate attention."

Laughing at my choice of arguments, we all ventured out in the streets and started our short journey to the famous pub.

* * *

><p>"Cut. It. Off." Katie said through gritted teeth. "I certainly don't fancy him – " she started her rant, only to be cut off by Angelina snorting loudly next to her, spitting Butterbeer all over her robes as she did. "Merlin, Ange! You think you'd have some discipline in you! As I was saying," she continued, throwing her a glare that would make even the bravest of men cower in fear "I don't fancy that oaf. And I wouldn't even if he were the last man on this earth!"<p>

"Katie, darling, Lee is a fine man!" I said, trying to stifle a laugh that was making its way out. "A bit on the nutty side, but fine nonetheless!"

"Yeah, Katie. Think of all the fine words he could say to you while banging!" Angelina added, obviously making reference to the potty mouth he had and all the cuss words he knew that came in handy while serving as the official Quidditch commentator.

"Piss off, Angelina!" snapped a rather flustered and beyond angry Katie. "Besides, if I remember well, it's you who he called attractive last year, during that match, ain't it?" she added, looking quite pleased when her comment made Angelina's ears turn a dark shade of red.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut," came a rather surprising word from Alicia, who sat quietly during their bickering, "If you don't want them to hear you."

As soon as she finished, the front door bell rang once and Fred, George and Lee entered the pub, each holding a bag of their own, with Zonko's Joke Shop logo stamped on each one.

"_Garçon_! Three Butterbeers for the lads! And _pronto_!" Fred shouted across the swarm of people in the pub, prompting a rather nasty look from the bartender, Madam Rosmerta, who clearly knew that "_garçon" _was no way to call a lady.

"You know you just called her "boy", do you not?" I asked Fred, eyeing his bag with interest. I thought I saw something move.

"Figure of speech, darling!" he said as though redeeming himself, and grinning at his brother. "So what are you, lovely ladies, doing on such a fine day?"

"Meddling around; drinking Butterbeer; nagging Katie – what is _that_ in your bag?!" I asked trying to grab at his Zonko's purchases, "It moved!"

"You're delusional." George said while his brother moved the bag out of my reach and eventually, out of my view.

"Yes, love, that Butterbeer is most likely getting to your head." Fred laughed while taking a swing out of my beverage. "Mmm… scrummy!"

"Get your own, you git!" I heard Alicia snap as Lee tried to do the same with hers, promptly hitting him over the head with her hat.

"Ow, woman! – " *snap* "You are vile – " *snap* "Ow!"

"Be a man, Lee!" Fred laughed at his friend, before turning his head my way. "So, do say, love. How about you help me with my Potions essay this afternoon. Twelve-inch long essay on the properties of Moonstone… something or other."

Turning my head to glare at him, I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth and lifted my Butterbeer to my lips. "Absolutely not." I looked to my friends for some kind of approval, but it was useless; they were all already in heated discussions amongst each other: Alicia and Lee were still arguing about "something called '_boundaries'_", while Katie, Angelina and George were browsing through each other's purchases.

"Oh, c'mon! Why not?!" Fred's smile deflated immediately and his shoulders fell along with his cheery attitude. "I'll do anything!"

"If you'll do anything, how about you do your own work from now on? I swear to Merlin, Frederick, your O.W.L. scores will be cringe-worthy!"

"Why do you care?" he asked as his face darkened, and I immediately knew I perhaps crossed the thin line between friendly teasing and damaging his ego. "What's it to you?"

"Fred, I'm sorry, I didn't – "

"Yeah, you didn't…"

At this point, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and were now staring at us instead. Mostly on Fred, wondering why they hell he was acting like a right prat.

"Tell you what, _Lulu – _" I cringed at the way he said my pet name; angry and sarcastic. " – If you think I'm such a failure, what do you say you go about your darling Prefect duties and piss off?" by now, Lee's mouth was slightly agape and Katie was looking at him as if she saw the Grim itself. "I'm not in the mood for your attitude, princess."

And with that, he grabbed his coat and bag, and skipped outside to face the cold without even getting dressed accordingly. It was only October, but the cold was already biting. Throwing me one last apologetic look, George quickly dashed after his brother, leaving the five of us in a stupor.

"Your attitude?" Katie asked. "If anything, it was him the one with the pissy attitude, hon."

"Yeah, he'll come around." Angelina agreed. "He's probably just stressed about his school performance." She continued, even though she knew it was far-fetched; Fred was never stressed about school. That was one of the things I loved most about him.

As if waking up from a long dream, Lee looked around and pointed at the door. "Did that just happen?"

I couldn't even nod while I stared at the inn's exit, wishing to run after them. My legs wouldn't comply, though, and I finally looked to the others, still in shock.

What just happened?


End file.
